Releasing device for mail bags



June 30, 1931. l.1. L.. DE GIVE RELEASING DEVICE FOR MAIL BAGS Filed Dec. 13, 1929 J9 E? 26 2.1 .J5

ATTORNEY Figure 5 is Patented June 30, 1.931

UNITED STATES PATENT yOFFICE:

JULIUS LOUIS DE Gm, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA; HENRY L. DE GIVE EX'EUU'TOB 0F SAID- JULIUS LOUIS DE GIVE, DEOEASED RELEASING DEVICE FOR MAIL ,BAGS

Application ledl December 13, 1929. Serial No. 418,862.

This invention relates toa novel means for installation in or upon an aeroplane for thepurpose of carrying mail bags,J and the priwhich mail bags of the type which are designed to float in water, may be released, and dropped from the aeroplane in a minutes time/ in the event the aeroplane catches fire.

1g Another object of the invention is to provide a means for the purpose -stated by which any desired number of mail bags may be supported in a secure manner until the necessity arises for their release.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section illustrating rone embodiment of the invention in which the mailQ bags are supported eXteriorly of the fuselage of the aeroplane.

Figure 2 is a detail longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale andy similar .to lFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the struc- 35 ture shown in Fi re 1. d d Figure-4 yis a view similar to Figure 3 ill lustrating an arrangement "whereby-.Ta number of rows of or suspended.,V y u y 'a longitudinal sectionalgview illustrating meanswhereby mail bags may be mail bags maybe supported storedwithin the fuselage ofan aeroplane 'in4 fal manner to provide for their delivery therefrom inthe eventofthe aeroplane catching In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, the numeral 1 indicates the fuselage of an aeroplane and the device embodying the invention is,-in this form, mounted upon the under side of the y fuselage, the said device comprising a rod 2 which is pivotally mounted at its rear end, as at 3, upon the `under side of the fuselage, and this rod is preferably of cylindrical form so that eye members 4 upon the tops of mail bags 5, may be readily slid. onto the rod, and the bags thus suspended in a row as clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

Means is provided for normally holding the rod 2 in substantially parallel relation to the under side of the fuselage, and therefore supporting the mail bags, and this means comprises spaced brackets 6 which are mounted upon the under side of the fuselage in advance of the pivotal connection for the rod 2, a socket member 7 being slidably fitted in an opening 8 in one of the said brackets and the free end of the rod 2 being engaged in this socket member. The socket member is provided with a stem 9 which extends from its forward end and is slidably enga ed through an opening 10 formed in the ot er bracket member 6, and a compression spring 11 is fitted onto the stem and presses at its forward end against the last mentioned bracket member and at its rear end against a collar 12 which is fixed upon the stem at the junctureof the stem with the lforward end of the socketmember 7 v 'An ear 13 is formed or fixed upon the forward end o f the stem 9 andthe stem is held vin a rearwardly shifted position as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, through the medium of the 'spring1l,' so that this ear,

which is of greater dimensions than fthe for-l ward end ofthe stem will abut against, the

last mentioned one "of thebracket members,-

one of the bracketmembers against which 'the collar member-"12 abutting gainst that hand lever 14 is mounted as at 15 in the bottom of the fuselage 1 and a rod 14 is connected to the ear 13 and to the lower end of the lever, and a pawl device 16 upon the lever coacts with a segmental rack 17 to hold the lever normally in the position shown in Figures 1 and 3 in full lines, and enables the lever to be held in the dotted line position shown in Figure 1. It will be observed by reference to Figure 1 that the mail bags are,

' as before stated, provided with eyes or loops 4 at their tops and these loops are fitted slidably onto the rod 2 and the rod is swung upwardly and engaged at its free end in the socket 7, the lever 14, at this time being held in the dotted line position shown in Figure 1, so as to maintain the socket member 7 in a rearwardly shifted position against the tension of the spring 11. Movement of the lever 14 to the forward position shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 2 will permit the spring 11 to shift the flange rearwardly so that the socket member 7 will engage the free end of the rod 2.

. In the event of fire the pilot may release all of the mail bags which are arranged upon v the respective forward one of the and suspended by the rod 2, by merely shifting a pawl 16 of the lever and shifting the lever rearwardly until the pawl engages in the rear one of the notches 18 in the segmental rack 17, and at this time the free end of the rod 2 will be released and the bags will of course slide oif the rod and drop into the water.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 4, a plurality of bag supporting rods, indicated by the numeral 19, and corresponding to the rod 2 of the previously described embodiment, may be employed, these rods being mounted to extend parallel to one another and a number of socket members 20 equal to the number of rods being mounted upon a cross head 21 to receive the free ends of the respective rods. The arms 22 of a yoke 23 are slidably mounted in bearings 26 upon the under side of the fuselage, and are held in a rearwardly shifted position by means of springs 25 and these arms are secured at their rear ends to the ends of the cross head 21, a collar 26 being formed or secured upon each of the arms of the yoke so as to en age against earings 24.

A rod 27 corresponding to the rod 14 is connectedqwith the yoke 23 and actuated by some means such as would be the equivalent of the hand lever 14, above described. It will be understood that in this embodiment of the invention a row of mail bags may be suspended from each of the rods 19.

In the embodiment ofthe invention shown in Figure 5 of the drawings the fuselage of the aeroplane, which in this figure is indicated by the numeral 28, is divided by a spaced downwardly inclined .front and rear partit1on walls 29 and 3() and a closure 31l is hingedly mounted as indicated by the numeral 32 at one side of an opening 33 formed in the top of the fuselage and through which opening the mail bags may be introduced into the compartment provided by the wall of the fuselage and the partition walls 29 and 30. This compartment is open at its bottom and a trap door 34 is hingedly mounted as at 35 to the under side of the fuselage at the rear side of the said open bottom of the compartment and a keeper lug 36 is mounted upon the under side of the trap door at the free side thereof.

A bolt 37 is slidably mounted in brackets 38 upon the under side of the fuselage and a collar 39 is fixed or formed upon the said bolt and engages against the keeper lug 36 when the latter end of the bolt is in engagement with the said lug, and a compression spring 40 is arranged upon a stem 41 which extends from the forward end of the bolt 37, and this spring bears at one end against the forward one of the brackets 38 and at its other end against a collar 42, which is fixed upon the stem 41 and engages against the rear one of the said brackets 38, a rod 43, corresponding to the rod. 14 of the embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, being connected to the forward end of the stem 41, and to a lever (not shown) corresponding to the lever 14. It will be understood that, in this embodiment of the invention, a pull exerted upon the rod 43 will result in retraction of-the bolt from engagement with the keeper lug 36 and the downward'swinging of the trap door 34 to open position due to the weight imposed thereon bythe mail bags so that the bags will be discharged from the compartment in which they were stored. 4

What I claim is 1. The combination with an aeroplane, of means upon the same for supporting a plurality of mail bags, the said means comprising a rod pivotally connected at one end to the aeroplane at the under side thereof, whereby supporting eyes upon a series of mail bags may be slidably fitted onto the said rod, a member mounted upon theunder side of the aeroplane body and having a socket, the member being movable into and out of position to receiveyand support the free end of the said rod, a/'spring yieldably holding the socket member in active position, and manually operable means connected with the said socket member for retracting the same to release the said free end of the rod.

2. The combination with an aeroplane, of means upon the same for supporting a plurality of mail mags, the said means comprising a rod pivotally connected at one end to the aeroplane at the under side thereof, whereby supporting eyes upon a series of mail bags may be slidably fitted onto said rod, members mounted upon the un er side of the aeroplane inadvance of the pivot forthe said aced bracket arm, a member slidably mounted in. said brackets and having a socket in one end to accommodate the free end of the said rod, an abutment upon the member engageable with ,5 one of said brackets, a spring upon the member bearing between said abutment and the bther bracket, and a manually operable lever connected With the other end of the said member and operable to retract the same to release the said free end of the rod upon swinging of the lever in one direction.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

JULIUS LOUIS DE GIVE. 

